are you avoiding reality?

May 9, 2011

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You’ve heard it said before, “The number one job of leadership is to define reality.” Unfortunately we’ve seen over and over again in recent years both companies and one high profile personality after another end in ruin as a result of losing touch with reality. Somewhere along the way these companies and personalities start to believe their press clippings, stop listening to the right voices, and ultimately reality becomes lost in a haze.

So how do you know if you are dealing with the brutal facts of your current reality? You may not be dealing with the brutal facts if you:

1. Avoid the Facts

2. Deny the Facts

3. Shift Blame

4. Make Excuses

5. Are Overly Positive

6. Delay Difficult Conversations

7. Pawn off Difficult Conversations to Other People

8. Get Internally Frustrated with other People’s Questioning

9. Personalize Conversations about Work/Ministry

10. Attempt to Out Argue the Critics

Here’s what’s real, if everyone else is always wrong, then guess what?

Question:

What do you do to make sure the brutal facts are spoken, heard, and dealt with in your organization?

Comments

2 responses to “are you avoiding reality?”

Tim Parker

May 9, 2011

1. Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom.
2. Be known for speaking truth in love.
3. You can always say the same thing two ways….one will arm and the other will disarm so select your words carefully. From the overflow of our heart our mouth speaks.
4. Do a heart check to make sure what we want to say needs to be said.
Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
5. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger……but say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said.

Reply
paul alexander

May 10, 2011

Tim – nice list! I would agree, when talking about the brutal facts and speaking the truth when it may not be popular the best place to start is monitoring your own heart & motivations.

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